Saturn VUE Hybrid

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MSRP Starting At: $31,075 Disclaimer: Pricing is subject to change without notice, actual price may vary; installed options may also vary by dealer. Price does not include applicable license fees, insurance, registration, tax, freight / delivery, PDI or administration fees. See dealership for final pricing and availability.

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	2007 Saturn VUE Green Line Road Test Old Tech Helps Saturn Turn a New PageYou don't need be a climatologist or have your nose buried inSaturn's on the road, making a greener SUV. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)a newspaper to know that Mother Nature's been having hot flashes. It isn't because she's getting menopausal, she's just starting to heat up. Take this past winter for instance, where, on several days it was warm enough to walk around wearing a tee-shirt and shorts in my Toronto neighbourhood. Spring was pretty fa ...more 2006-11-24 21:00:00

Exterior

European-inspired design
	The VUE's new sculpted appearance with aerodynamic lines and tapered roof exemplify its evolution towards an even more progressive, dynamic design.
Alluring wheels
	The Saturn VUE sports eye-catching 16 aluminum wheels on the XE models, 17 aluminum wheels on the XR and Hybrid models, and 18 alloy wheels on both the Red Line models.
Sleek new look
	Every detail counts on the new VUE. The sleek look of the chrome window moulding and the new silver skid plates on the front and rear fascias galvanize the VUE's sporty new look. The tinted Solar Ray front windshield reduces solar heat gain and adds to the sporty look. Plus, theres a privacy tint on the rear door and cargo area side windows and liftgate window.
Intelligent wipers
	When the VUE's moisture-sensing windshield wipers detect water or mist with their infrared detectors, they automatically cleat the windshield. The wiper speed is based on the intensity of precipitation.
Remote controlled
	With the touch of a button on the key fob, the adaptive remote start engages the engine and the climate control system, defrosters and heated seats (where applicable).


Interior

Elegant interior
	Inspired by modern furniture design and architecture, we re-designed the interior with sophisticated touches like amber backlighting, chrome accents and rich textures to gie the VUE a premium look and feel.
Precise comfort
	Recline in the VUE's comfortable driver seat with 8-way power drivers side memory and manual lumber support.
Control at your fingertips
	Wrap your hands around the VUE's energy absorbing steering wheel and take command of your driving soundtrack with its audio controls.
Flexible seating
	A fold-flat front passenger seat and a standard 60/40-split rear seatback both fold flat to give the VUE a cargo capacity of 1 597 litres.
Smart storage
	The VUE is full of inventive storage solutions like the available flex neat rear cargo organizer, standard left and right cargo storage wells and a handy storage tray in the spare tire compartment.

Performance

Solid Traction
	The VUE's new available all-wheel-drive system (AWD) monitors wheel speed and slip and throttle position to quickly redirect power to the rear wheels when needed.
Responsive handling and fluid steering all in one
	The new VUE has a MacPherson front suspensoin and an independent 4-link rear suspension for crisp handling and an impressively smooth ride. The VUE's hydraulic-assist power steering (V6 only) provides quick and responsive vehicle control.

Safety

Cushioned protection
	VUE is equipped with 6 standard air bags: dual-stage front air bags, 2-row roof-mounted head curtain side impact air bags with roll sensing and front seat-mounted thorax side-impact air bags all for even further peace of mind for the driver and front passenger.
Safely in touch
	VUE comes with a standard one-year OnStar† Safe & Sound Plan which provides 24-hour access to advisors via satellite in the event of an accident, stolen vehicle or emergency.
Stay on track
	Vue's StabiliTrak™ system with Rollover Mitigration and Traction Control uses a sophisticated network of sensors to monitor steering angle, individual wheel speed, brake pressure, lateral acceleration and yaw rate. Using this information the car's computer compares the driver's steering input to the cars response to determine if the car is tracking properly. If the two differ greatly, StabiliTrak helps you get the car back on track by reducing engine torque and braking the appropriate wheels.
Solid structure
	The new VUE's integral body and frame structure is fashioned with high-strength steel components. The reinforced the A and B pillars and crossbar beams improve the passenger compartment integrity.

Hybrid

Hybrid power is a smart use of energy
	The VUE Hybrid comes equipped with a 2.4L Ecotec with BAS Hybrid Propulsion Equipment 4 cyl, VVT-FWD/172 hp @ 5800 rpm / 167 lb-ft torque @ 4500 rpm / 4-speed automatic transmission. The VUE's engine pauses when you brake, the hybrid system boosts power when you accelerate, and charges when you decelerate or drive at cruising speeds.
The thinking engine that maximizes fuel savings
	The VUE Hybrid is full of gadgets to help you maximize fuel savings including an intelligenct Charging sytem that automatically recognizers the most efficient time for the power inverter/converter to reacharge the 36-volt and 12-volt batteries. The eco light indicator lets you know when you are in eco mode to help you adjust your driving habits. Plus the handy charge assist gauge tells you when you're drawing on the hybrid system's battery and when you're charging it..
Aerodynamic effciencies
	The new VUE's rear spoiler and lowered chassis are designed to recuce drag, and therefore improve fuel efficiency.
Glamorous and green
	VUE's 17 premium aluminum flangeless wheels have an impressive look for an SUV with such a small footprint. VUE's P225/60R17 98S all-season blackwall tires cause less road friction for increased fuel efficiency.
‡XMTM Satellite Radio includes three trial months beyond which service fees apply. Available in 10 Canadian provinces and 48 contiguous United States. *MSRP-Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Retailers are free to set individual selling prices. See additional information on vehicle pricing. †OnStar services require vehicle electrical system (including battery), wireless service and GPS satellite signals to be available and operating for features to function properly. OnStar acts as a link to existing emergency service providers. Subscription Service Agreement required. OnStar Hands-free Calling requires a Hands-Free Calling enabled vehicle, existing OnStar service contract and prepaid minutes or enrollment in a shared minute plan. Not available in certain markets. Calls may be made to the U.S. and Canada only. OnStar voice recognition system may not work with some voices. Call 1-888-4ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827) or visit onstar.ca for OnStar's Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and system limitations and details. .© 2008 OnStar Corporation. All rights reserved. OnStar and the OnStar emblem are registered trademarks of OnStar Corporation. The GM emblem is a registered trademark of the GM Corporation. © 2008 General Motors of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.

Warranty

Saturn Service

For peace of mind motoring, you've come to the right place, for Saturn Warranties are among the best out there

Visit the Saturn Service section to find complete details on the Saturn New Vehicle Warranty along with the Saturn Extended Warranty Plan. In addition, you'll also find your maintenance schedule and almost everything else you need to know about keeping your Saturn running smoothly.

The Saturn Promise

Creating a "No-Hassle" sales policy isn´t intended to create a revolution, just to solve a problem. Welcome to the Saturn Promise.

Roadside Assistance

Available through a toll-free number (1-800-268-6800) across North America. Roadside Assistance includes help for lock-out, jump start, flat tire change, fuel delivery or towing. See your Retailer for details

Courtesy Transportation Program

During the warranty coverage period, alternate transportation and/or reimbursement of certain transportation expenses may be available under the Courtesy Transportation Program, if your vehicle requires warranty repairs. See your dealer for details.

Select a trim from the drop-down list to view its standard features

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2007 Saturn VUE Green Line Road Test

By: Justin Couture

November, 24 2006

Old Tech Helps Saturn Turn a New Page

You don't need be a climatologist or have your nose buried in

Saturn's on the road, making a greener SUV. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

a newspaper to know that Mother Nature's been having hot flashes. It isn't because she's getting menopausal, she's just starting to heat up. Take this past winter for instance, where, on several days it was warm enough to walk around wearing a tee-shirt and shorts in my Toronto neighbourhood. Spring was pretty fair too; I ended up putting the winter apparel in the closet long before I would have previously, according to my calendar. Summer was hot and dry, and now that we've gone full cycle once again I should be getting ready to don a toque and parka. But I'm not.

And it's not just me that's been feeling the heat, as environmental agencies and governments have been lighting a flame under major polluters, including the car companies, to produce fewer toxins, and in this case more fuel efficient vehicles - in particular thriftier SUVs - that also pollute less. Some parts of the world, such as the UK, are busy finding ways of banning sport utilities completely. And it's not as if full-size SUV owners (even here at home) haven't been feeling the pressure, with the reality that a buck-a-litre-and-then-some fuel prices are here to stay. And, of course, the greenies have been keeping busy by protesting, chaining themselves to assembly lines, and, the more daring ones (lacking common sense), lighting SUVs ablaze.

There's

Not the most advanced hybrid system on the market, but indeed, the badge doesn't lie. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

no question that one of North America's favourite forms of transportation is underfire(sorry but I couldn't help the pun), but General Motors, arguably the king of the SUV, wants to change this, and they're starting with the revitalized Saturn brand. Its curve ball to the world of high consumption is the new VUE Green Line, the world's first truly affordable hybrid sport utility that's as easy on gas as it's initially easy on the wallet, plus easy on Mother Nature and good for a tax rebate or two to boot.

The VUE Green Line is Saturn's first hybrid, and while it is parent GM's

Affordability is one of the key principles behind the VUE Green Line. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

first hybrid sport utility vehicle, it isn't its first production hybrid. The General's viewpoint on hybrids has always been from a wider access point than Toyota or Honda. Instead of targeting a select few through niche products, it went after the fleet market with the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrid during late 2003. The mild hybrid full-size truck is a concept that works better than you might imagine: most fleet trucks spend a great deal of time acting on the two most extremes of any pickup - either as true workhorses or lazily idling about. A hybrid drivetrain is perfectly suited to this life, providing the necessary grunt from the electrical motor when pulling (although not as capable as a bullish diesel) while the idle-stop feature prevents excessive fuel consumption. GM's logical theory was also applied to the public transportation sector, with its lineup of Hybrid busses that launched in 2004.

But wait, there's more: as was announced at this year's North

Aside from the ION, this is the last remaining polymer-paneled Saturn. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM is working on developing a two-pronged hybrid technique in delivering the goodness of partial zero emissions vehicles to everyday folk. One of their big reveals at their home show was the Tahoe Hybrid with the 'Two-Mode' hybrid system, a hybrid system developed in conjunction with such odd bedfellows as DaimlerChrysler and BMW. This is GM's first full hybrid, non-commercial production vehicle, and will be capable of running on electrical power alone, something that the pickup hybrids couldn't do. The other big reveal at the show was the VUE Green Line, another mild hybrid like the Silverado.

If revolution is what you seek in hybrids, then perhaps it's best to

From the driver's seat, there are very few differences (regular VUE V6 shown). (Photo: GM)

direct your attention towards the Tahoe Two-Mode, or something daringly cutting edge, like Lexus' forthcoming LS 600h, because there is simply nothing monumentally different about the Green Line's system. In the hybrid world, the type of technology that it uses is about as simple as it gets, and it's akin to the first hybrids from Honda. This also means that the VUE won't be breaking any new records for environmental friendliness. But that's not the point of the Green Line. Rather, the innovation that Saturn's bringing to the table is probably more signifcant. It's putting fuel friendly, low emissions technology into more peoples' driveways, and it's doing it the good 'ol fashioned way, by making it cost effective to the working class.

The Vue Green Line starts out with a simple but modern gasoline

The new EcoTec and four-speed automatic powertrain combo. It'll also be used on the Aura. (Photo: GM)

engine, the 2.4-litre EcoTec four-cylinder with variable valve timing. It's the first time that this engine has been employed in the VUE. On its own, this is a significant upgrade in power when compared to the standard VUE's 143-horsepower 2.2-litre four, although the combination of this gasoline engine and the electric motor - which I'll get into more detail later - creates a sum total of 170 horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque. Like every other regular car gone hybrid (Civic, Camry, Accord, Escape, Highlander, etc), the VUE Green Line will not only be more fuel efficient than its gasoline-only counterpart, shaving about 20-percent off the top of what a regular four-cylinder VUE would consume on average, but it'll also beat the gasoline-only inline-four to 100 km/h by about a second.

The generator-motor is actually visible in the engine bay, unlike other

That gauge on the right is like a heartbeat monitor for the hybrid's electrical system. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

mild hybrids, that have their coils stuffed in between the engine and gearbox. If you pop the hood and peer around the big plastic cover, you can actually see the 14.5 kW motor/generator which delivers up to 115 lb-ft of torque. Another oddity for the Green Line is that its gearbox is a conventional four-speed automatic of the Hydra-Matic variety, although it's been modified for this particular application. Perhaps it's just me, but the automatic hybrid combination drips with irony; Saturn canned the CVT gearbox on the VUE three years after it was introduced, which is odd, as almost every automatic hybrid on the market aside from the Honda Accord Hybrid has a CVT (continuously variable transmission).

Customers won't quibble about this though, but rather will

Lots of room inside as batteries take up space under the rear seat cushion. (Photo: GM)

undoubtedly appreciate that the VUE hasn't lost a single litre of cargo volume to the hybrid conversion. By keeping the start and stop functions of the motor-generator juiced by the car's regular battery in the engine bay, the hybrid's power pack could be downsized to fit within the sub-floor under the cargo bay. This also bodes well for versatility, of which the VUE has plenty. The Green Line still has 60/40 split-folding seats and a front passenger's seat that folds flat, lending to some pretty voluminous hauling capabilities. Five-up, from cargo floor to roof, there's 872 L (30.8 cu-ft) worth of space available, and if you don't need the back seats they fold down to yield 1,812 L (64.0 cu-ft) from bottom to roof top.

To me, the Vue has always been a friendly vehicle. It's not the least

That's one of those by-fangled things... you know, the ones that run on gasoline and electricity. What are they called...? (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

bit aggressive looking, and if the entire polymer plastic paneled body of my tester wasn't covered in a full-size stick-on tattoo, then the VUE Green Line would be a very discreet machine. Chrome-plated wheels and a skidplate persuade the naked eye to believe that this isn't really a hybrid, because the only real details which betray its green secret are the wee Hybrid badges stuck around the exterior. I think this approach will work just fine for people who just want to get on with their green motoring lives, rather than to be singled out at fuel pumps by intrigued passersby.

Much the same story goes for the interior. Since this is the first

Eco light shines when your instantaneous mileage is better than your average mileage... in other words, when you're doing good. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

in-depth look of a post-facelifted VUE we've done, there's a bit of stuff to talk about, such as the redesigned centre console and the various bolt-ons that GM added to make the Vue's cabin a nicer place to spend time. The new GM-corporate steering wheel can be found here; its leather rim is pleasantly tactile, while the stereo and climate control systems are easier to use, plus they look modern. As for the particulars of the Green Line, there are new chrome-ringed instruments that show the output/recharge status of the hybrid system, a new tachometer with idle-stop indicator, and a green button that forces the car into 'eco' mode, minimizing the impact of accessories such as the air conditioner. One thing that hybrid enthusiasts might miss is a visual display on the inner workings of the powertrain system, such as the in-dash one on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

When driving the Green Line it's very difficult to detect that there's

Not a speedy VUE, just a slow shutter speed. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

nothing more going on than what normally happens behind the wheel of a VUE. You can't hear the electric motors working unless you turn off the stereo, turn down the fan and listen extra hard. Unfortunately, though, there isn't really all that much to report on when at speed. The steering is typically over-assisted, like most compact SUVs, and lacks feel due to electrical assist, but it makes the VUE a treat to navigate in tight spots and through congested traffic. Acceleration doesn't feel anywhere as rapid as GM suggests, the long-as-a-physics-lecture-on-a-warm-June-day gearing fights the engine's willingness to move forward. But it's not like you'd want to go too fast anyway, as the package is sealed off by a ride that's soft and squishy, just like the brake pedal.

I didn't drive the Green Line long enough to generate any valid

Reworked console is easier to navigate. Window switches are still mounted in an odd position on centre console. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

fuel consumption numbers, but given that this is a four-cylinder front-wheel drive SUV, more of a tall wagon actually, aided by hybrid components, I don't have any reservations with it matching GM's claims.

In that respect, the VUE Green Line succeeds. This is probably the only hybrid vehicle that it would be conceivable to purchase on the basis of saving at the pumps. At 8.8 L/100 km in the city, it's just about as efficient as a compact car, while its 6.7 L/100 km highway rating makes it the most efficient sport utility vehicle, period. End of sentence. And with a starting price of $29,060, the VUE Green Line is very, very reasonable, checking in at a mere $570 more than the front-wheel drive V6 model. A VUE Green Line stuffed to the gills with every single option available will ring in at $33,335, which is still cheaper than any other hybrid SUV on the market. If there's any machine that can convince people to switch over to hybrids, this probably has the best chance.

Saturn's also about to add another green ring to its product lineup with the Aura Green Line, slated to arrive sometime in 2007. It, like the VUE will be a mild hybrid to help lure those with shallower pockets into the realm of hybrid ownership. Unlike many of the vehicles it competes with, its mild hybrid, four-cylinder arrangement will help it undercut rivals by a significant amount. However, if there's any machine that can convince people to switch over from regular cars to hybrids, my money's on the VUE Green Line.

Specifications (VUE Green Line):

Price Range (VUE Green Line): $29,060 - $33,335
Price as Tested (MSRP): $29,060
Body Type: 5-door SUV
Layout: front engine, FWD
Gasoline Engine: 170 hp, 162 lb-ft of torque, 2.4L, 16-valve DOHC I-4
Electric Motor: 115 lb-ft of torque, 14.5 kW DC Brushless
Transmission: 4-spd auto
Brakes (front/rear): disc/drum, ABS
Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 4,605 / 1,818 / 1,659 / 2,707 mm (181.3 / 71.5 / 65.3 / 106.6 in)
Curb Weight: 1,576 kg (3,473 lbs)
Tires: 215/70R16
Cargo Volume (up / down; to roof): 872 / 1,812 L (30.8 / 64.0 cu-ft)
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 8.8 / 6.7 L/100 km
Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 comprehensive; 60/160,000 powertrain
Competitors: Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Website: www.gmcanada.com